System for cooling large, hot metal slabs

ABSTRACT

Metal slabs coming hot from a rolling mill, in a more or less horizontal position, are fed into a set of pivotal jaws which erect them for engagement by a hoist clamp carrying each slab across a pool of cooling water for upright insertion into and removal from an assigned bay of a submerged rack. A further set of jaws at the other end of the pool returns the cooled slabs to a recumbent position preparatorily to further handling.

United States Patent Manthey et al. [4 1 Aug. 1, 1972 [54] SYSTEM FOR COOLING LARGE, HOT 2,095,946 10/1937 Blage ..266/6 R METAL SLABS 3,623,716 11/1971 Fritsch ..266/6 R 1 Inventor-S1 g i f g g fgg g :32: FOREIGN PATENTS 0R APPLICATIONS b h fg 637,126 10/1936 Germany .266/6R l,078,9 8 8 1967 Great Britain ..72/201 [731 Asslgleeg f gfg rgfi'fi walmrk' 2,002,045 7/1970 Germany 12/101 [22] Filed: Jan. 11, 1971 Primary ExaminerCharle s W. Lanham Assistant Examiner-E. M. Combs [21] Appl. No.. 105,310 Atmmey Karl E Ross [30] Foreign Application Priority Data 57 ABSTRA T Jan. 20, Germany ..P Metal slabs coming hot from a rolling mill in a more or less horizontal position, are fed into a set of pivotal UQS. them a 2; 3 5 32 clamp carrying each slab across a pool of cooling 1 arc j water for upright insertion into and removal from an 134/76 148/153 266/4 6 assigned bay of a submerged rack. A further set of 56 R Ct d jaws at the other end of the pool returns the cooled 1 e I e slabs to a recumbent position preparatorily to further UNITED STATES PATENTS 294,441 3/1884 Chess etal ..134/76 handling.

10 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTED M18 1 I972 SHEET 1 0F 4 Willi Man rhey Heinz SchmiH'er w W M w Attorney PATENTEDwc 1 I97? 3. 680,344

SHEET 2 BF 4 a 1'5 2; T? /a fi v W n/r093: Willi Mamhey Heinz Schmiffer BY (WA Attorney PATENTEBAUG H972 3.680.344

SHEET 3 OF 4 /NVEN7'0PS.' Willi Mdnme w Heinz Schmxmr Attorney PATENTED 1 3, 680.344

sum u or 4 /8a N f8 mum/raps:

Willi Manfhey Heinz Schmiffer BY 0 0R9 Attorney SYSTEM FOR COOLING LARGE, HOT METAL 1 SLABS Our present invention relates to a system for the cooling of large hot slabs of steel or other metals, such as those coming from a rolling mill.

Slabs weighing up to tons require a very long time for cooling if simply assembled in, a stack as is the custom with smaller metal blocks. On the other hand, the technique of cooling such blocks in a pool of water has been practiced heretofore With billets and the like but has been found impractical with large flat goods requiring bulky equipment for their immersion into and withdrawal from the bath. Attempts to solve this problem by the use of paddle wheels laden with the slabs have been unsuccessful because the dipping of the goods into the water in an oblique position gives rise to pockets of steam collecting along the lower slab surface with resulting uneven cooling.

The general object of our present invention is to provide a relatively simple and reliable means for efficiently cooling large, heavy slabs.

A more particular object is to provide means for rapidly and uniformly cooling a succession of slabs on a mass-production basis.

ln accordance with this invention, the hot slabs aredelivered in their usual recumbent (i.e., more or less horizontal) position to the entrance-end of attack spanning a pool of cooling water, means being provided at that entrance end to erect the slabs so as to make them stand upright on either a minor or a major edge of their generally rectangular outline. These upright slabs are then seized by a hoist which is movable along the unloading means at the exit end of the track may include swingable grippers in the form of a set of juxtaposed jaws which .are rotatable in parallel planes the slab level.

ments or bays fora large'number of parallel slabs standing on edge within the water; fresh cooling water may be supplied to the pool by nozzles disposed underneath the slab-supporting rack structure while the spent water is withdrawn by one or more drain pipes above The above and other features of our invention will become more readily apparent from the following detaileddescription, reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a cooling system embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line II II of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the assembly of FIGS. 1 and 2;

and A FIG. 4 is an enlarged detail view of a slab-engaging bracket in vertical section, taken on the line IV IV of FIG. 2. v

for large-size steel slabs 1 coming hot from a nonillustrated rolling mill, comprises an input conveyor in the form of a set of horizontal rollers 2 some of which may be driven and which successively deliver the slabs l to the entrance end of a track defined by two parallel rails 15. These rails, as best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, extend along opposite longitudinal edges of a rectangular basin 7 forming a water pool 6. A transverse bar 3 is carried by a pair ofthrust rods 3', such as hydraulic pistons, and is provided with bumpers 3 bearing upon an edge of the slab l to push the latter, as indicated by an arrow A, into a set of parallel gripper jaws 4 which are swingable above a common pivot shaft 5 under the control of one or more jacks 5 (only one shown) positioned between these jaws. Upon hydraulic, pneumatic or electromagnetic actuation of these jacks from a control panel or by an automatic programmer, not shown, the

through an arc of substantially 90 to change the position of the slabs from horizOntal to vertical or vice versa. These jaws should be wide enough to receive the slab with some clearance so that it may readily slide into and out of them.

The hoist may be suspended from the carriage of a crane and, according to another feature of our invention, comprises one or more brackets (preferably a pair) with a downwardly open vertical slot, a latch at the bottom of the bracket being operable to close that slot for retaining an engaged slab therein. Advantageously, the latch is a spring-loaded member which is upwardly swingable into a retracted position, being held down against an abutment on the bracket by the weight of an engaged slab so as to prevent any premature release of the latter. The slot, of course, should be deep enough in this case to receive the slab with sufficient top clearance to enable the withdrawal of the latch after the slab has been set down on a support alongside the bracket, such as a set of parallel beams submerged in the pool. These beams may be provided with. upstanding teeth defining a series of compartjaws 4 are swung clockwise (as viewed in FIG. 1) through an arc of so that the engaged slab 1 is now in an upright position, standing on one of its major edges within these jaws.

Track 15 supports a pair of mobile cranes 16 each forming a bridge 17 for thesupport of a pair of transversely-spaced hoists. Each hoist comprises a ,slab holder in the form of a bracket 18 suspended from the bridge by a pulley block 19 so as to be freely elevatable while being vertically guided, by means not shown, against swinging or shifting in the plane of travel. The two pulley blocks 19 of each bridge 17.are coupled for simultaneous actuation by an operator or the aforementioned programmer to raise or lower the brackets 18 in unison, together with an engaged slab l or preparatorily to the seizure or release thereof.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, each bracket 18 has a pair of parallel walls 18a, 18b forming an upwardly closed and downwardly open slot 20 therebetween, the slot accommodating an upright slab 1 with enough clearance at the top to enable the upward swing of a latch member 23, from a closure position (full lines) into a retracted position within a recess 20a (dot-dash lines), whenever the slab 1 comes to rest on a support while the bracket continues its descent. Latch member 23 ispivoted at 23a to the wall 18a and, when loaded by the slab, engages a stop pin 23b in another recess 20b of wall 18b. A tension spring 24, acting upon a rearward extension 23f of latch 23 through an articulated linkage 22 with a fulcrum 22','tends to withdraw the unloaded latch into the recess 20a unless a cable 22", extending into the housing of the associated pulley block 19 above bridge 17, is manually or automatically tensioned to lock up the slab 1 encased by the bracket.

At 21 there has been shown the shaft of the lower pulley of the associated hoisting block 19 by which the 1 into the pool under the control of a set of valves 101;

overflow ducts 13 above the upper edgesof the immersed slabs control the liquid level in the pool and remove the heated water to a pair of outlet manifolds 14 on opposite sides of the pool.

Slabs withdrawn from the bays defined by the rack teeth 9 are deposited by one of the cranes 16in a set of swingable gripper jaws 25, similar to jaws 4 atthe en-' trance end of track 15, which are pivotable abouta rod 26 at the discharge end of the track under the control of one or more jacks 25 (only one shown) similar to jacks 5'. A pressure bar 27 with bumpers 27', similar to bar 3 with its ribs 3", can be operated to dislodge the cooled slab 1 from the jaws 25 and onto a platform 28, elevatable by jacks 28', after the jaws 25 have been swung clockwise (FIG. 1) through an arc of 90 into a position in which the engaged slab is again horizontal. From platform 28, with the aid of a further thruster indicated diagrammatically by an arrow B in FIG. 3, the slabs may be transferred to an outgoing conveyor which may include a set of rollers such as those shown at 2.

Themotion of the two cranes 16 may be coordinated to let one crane transport the erected slabs from the loading jaws 4 to their bays in the rack structure 8, 9

and to let the other crane remove the cooled slabs from the pool 6 to the unloadingjaws 25, with suitable immersion-periods for the effective cooling of each slab. In a simpler system a single crane can serve both purposes;

The spacing of the beams 8 is such that the brackets 18 may descend between them into the pool, to a level beneath the point where the engaged slab comes to rest on these beams, to facilitate the withdrawal of the latch 23 from the lower end of slot 20 upon immersion of a hot slab and the reclosure of theslot by the latch upon re-engagement of thecooled slab.

The circulation of cooling water may be controlled by the programmer, if any, with the aid of the valves 10 in conformity with the delivery rate of the input conveyor 2 and with the size of the individual slabs which can vary both in length and in width to the extent permitted by the dimensions of the pool 6 and of the gripping means 4, 18, 25..

We claim:

. 4 1 l; A system for cooling hot rnetal slabs, comprising: a pool for the storage of cooling water provided with submerged bays for receiving such slabs in an upr'ght position;

a trac spanning said pool; v

erecting means at one end of said track for turning hot oncoming slabs from a recumbent to an upright position;

hoist means movable along said track for seizing an erected slab at said one end, lowering the erected I slab into one of said bays and subsequently removing the slab in its upright position from said pool for transportation to the other end of said track;

and. unloading means at said other end for removing the cooled slab from said hoist means. i

2. A system as defined in claim 1 wherein said unloadingv means includes swingable gripper means for returningthe cooled slab to a recumbent position.

, 3. A system as defined in claim 2 wherein said erecting means and said gripper means each comprises a set of juxtaposed jaws rotatable in parallel planes through an arc of substantially r 4. A system as defined in claim 1 wherein said hoist means comprises a carriage and a bracket with a downwardly open vertical slot elevatably suspended from said carriage, said bracket being provided with retractable latch means for closing the open lower end of said slot.

5. A system ,as defined in claim 4 wherein said latch means comprises a member pivotably mounted on one side of said open end, spring means tending to withdraw said member from said open end, abutment means on the other side of said open end, and actuating means for moving said member into contact with said abutment means against the force of said spring means.

6. A system as defined in claim 5 wherein said bracket is provided with'a recess at said one side adjacent said open end, said member being upwardly swingable by said spring means for withdrawal into said recess, said slot being of sufficient depth to receive said slab with top clearance enabling such withdrawal upon said slab coming to rest on a support alongside said bracket.

7. A system as defined in claim 1 wherein said pool is provided with a rack structure forming said bays, said structure including a set of parallel slab-supporting beams with upstanding teeth for accommodating the upright slabs therebetween.

8. A system as defined in, claim 7, further comprising noule means in said pool below the level of said beams for the introduction of fresh cooling water, and drain means above the level of the slabs for removing spent water from said pool.

9. A system as defined in claim 1 wherein said pool is bounded by a pair of parallel walls, said track comprising a pair of rails supported by said walls.

10. A system as defined in claim 9 wherein said hoist means comprises a pair of cranes riding on said rails for respectively transporting slabs from said erecting means to said bays and from said bays to said unloading means. 

1. A system for cooling hot metal slabs, comprising: a pool for the storage of cooling water provided with submerged bays for receiving such slabs in an upright position; a track spanning said pool; erecting means at one end of said track for turning hot oncoming slabs from a recumbent to an upright position; hoist means movable along said track for seizing an erected slab at said one end, lowering the erected slab into one of said bays and subsequently removing the slab in its upright position from said pool for transportation to the other end of said track; and unloading means at said other end for removing the cooled slab from said hoist means.
 2. A system as defined in claim 1 wherein said unloading means includes swingable gripper means for returning the cooled slab to a recumbent position.
 3. A system as defined in claim 2 wherein said erecting means and said gripper means each comprises a set of juxtaposed jaws rotatable in parallel planes through an arc Of substantially 90*.
 4. A system as defined in claim 1 wherein said hoist means comprises a carriage and a bracket with a downwardly open vertical slot elevatably suspended from said carriage, said bracket being provided with retractable latch means for closing the open lower end of said slot.
 5. A system as defined in claim 4 wherein said latch means comprises a member pivotably mounted on one side of said open end, spring means tending to withdraw said member from said open end, abutment means on the other side of said open end, and actuating means for moving said member into contact with said abutment means against the force of said spring means.
 6. A system as defined in claim 5 wherein said bracket is provided with a recess at said one side adjacent said open end, said member being upwardly swingable by said spring means for withdrawal into said recess, said slot being of sufficient depth to receive said slab with top clearance enabling such withdrawal upon said slab coming to rest on a support alongside said bracket.
 7. A system as defined in claim 1 wherein said pool is provided with a rack structure forming said bays, said structure including a set of parallel slab-supporting beams with upstanding teeth for accommodating the upright slabs therebetween.
 8. A system as defined in claim 7, further comprising nozzle means in said pool below the level of said beams for the introduction of fresh cooling water, and drain means above the level of the slabs for removing spent water from said pool.
 9. A system as defined in claim 1 wherein said pool is bounded by a pair of parallel walls, said track comprising a pair of rails supported by said walls.
 10. A system as defined in claim 9 wherein said hoist means comprises a pair of cranes riding on said rails for respectively transporting slabs from said erecting means to said bays and from said bays to said unloading means. 